The RSB’s annual careers fair saw students attend in their hundreds to learn more about career options, improve their CV writing and hear from life science professionals.

Bioscience Careers Day, held on Saturday 4^th March at Sheffield Hallam University, attracted students from all over the UK, to discover more about potential careers in the biosciences.

Cara Froggatt MRSB, senior professional development officer at RSB, chaired the event and introduced the first speaker, Dr William Wood from Naimuri.

William spoke about careers in bioinformatics, discussing how data science is a meaningful career pathway for biologists by sharing a typical day in his job and tips on becoming a data scientist.

Rebecca Harwood from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society informed students about her career in a publishing house. She spoke about STM (scientific, technical, and medical) publishing and emphasised the importance of time management and clear writing styles when applying to publishing houses.

Students had the opportunity to get their CV checked and network with a selection of learned societies. Exhibitors included the ABPI, the Microbiology Society, The British Toxicological Society, the British Society for Immunology, the Biochemical Society, the Royal Society of Biology, the Nutrition Society, and Teeside University.

Dr Charles Lane from Fera spoke about careers in biosecurity, detailing the stakeholder landscape and how jobs in biosecurity need to take into account Government, education, industry, and citizens, noting the necessity of citizen science for monitoring tree health.

Dr Julie Lane then spoke about her transition as a researcher into national wildlife management. She highlighted that it was vital for scientists to give evidence-based, impartial advice to respond to and mitigate human-wildlife interactions.

After a networking lunch, Chris Longmore MRSB from RSB talked about the benefits of learned societies and how it can propel people’s careers forward. He touched on the ways in which students can develop professionally with CPD schemes and network by volunteering at outreach and engagement events.

Following Chris’ talk, Kitty Clouston from the University of Cambridge spoke about her experience within Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences and how students can follow a career path to become research technicians.

Dr Beth Webb then gave insight on how to find a PhD and how to use social media in the best way possible to promote yourself in the biosciences, speaking about her experience on TikTok.

Lastly, Dr Emily May Armstrong spoke about their journey into social media and gave tips on media production, different types of writing, such as medical writing, and the best way to engage the public with science.

This event was organised with support from the Careers Committee, whose role is to support and inform career-related decision making for students and other stakeholders. The committee is made up of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, the Biochemical Society, the British Ecological Society, the British Pharmacological Society, the British Society for Immunology, Gatsby Plant Science Education Programme, the Microbiology Society, the Society for Experimental Biology and The Physiological Society.